


Wash Day Delight

by 1800ROFLMAO



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Edge Is The Unwilling Dad Friend, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, Idiots in Love, Let Papyrus be Sassy, Multi, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader has curly hair, Romance if you squint, Slice of Life, Subtext, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Wholesome, reader is mixed, reader is poc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-21 13:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30022653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1800ROFLMAO/pseuds/1800ROFLMAO
Summary: “Girl, you’ve got a lot a hair!” She could feel the corner of her mouth tweak up in amusement beneath her mask. It would not be the first or last time she heard those words.____HANGOUT: START
Relationships: Papyrus (Underfell) & Reader, Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader
Kudos: 16





	1. INTRODUCTIONS

“Girl, you’ve got a lot a hair!” She could feel the corner of her mouth tweak up in amusement beneath her mask. It would not be the first or last time she heard those words. Yet they always brought her amusement, especially considering the move she was about to pull next.

“What if I told you this was only half of it?” she challenged the woman, eyes lighting up mischievously, while her client’s eyes widened only a fraction before narrowing in suspicion. Oh, she loved doing this. Not another word could be uttered before she laid the papers in her hands down neatly against the counter and was digging her fingers gently into her curls. She threw her client a sly wink as she lifted her curls up from her nape and turned her face to the side. An intricate undercut was now fully on display. She had gone with a diamond pattern this time. They laid like neat scales, stretching and repeating from her temple down to her ear, and back to her nape before looping back around. Some were painted with a gold mica for a little accent. She couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped as she heard the woman’s dramatic gasp.

“You weren’t kidding!” She could hear the smile in the older woman’s voice and it warmed her that her antics and hair could bring joy to some. “Oh, I wish I had hair like yours…” She wouldn’t be saying that if she knew how much work this hair was. Plus, her hair had to be finicky to boot. “I’d never cut it! Oh, the things I could do with it!” The novelty would wear off she was sure. A wig would probably be a more practical option. Letting her hair fall back into place, she gently finger combed it and pulled on the ends to help situate it. “Was it..” she lifted a brow at the pause, her fingers releasing a curl and watching as it bounced back into place, hiding it’s true length as it coiled back up. “... oh… hard? Yes, hard to choose to cut it?”

Oh, that was an easy question to answer. “Nope.” The answer was short, but not curt. Her voice warm and her eyes curving with mirth at the other’s disbelieving look. “I’ve had my hair much shorter than this at one point. Actually had it shaved all around for a good bit,” she admitted with a shrug. She was pretty sure her client was pouting under her mask and that made her smile more beneath hers. She finally took this moment to look over the other. She saw nothing wrong with the older woman’s beautifully white hair. It was obviously well taken care of and so long as you weren’t looking for flaws, you couldn’t tell that the senior’s hair was thinning. Effort had been put in, most likely with rollers, layers, and hairspray, to fluff and shape the thin, delicate strands into a soft coif. “Your hair is beautiful as well. I can only hope mine looks as good as yours when I’m your age.” The compliment was just as genuine as it was meant to comfort. She watched as thin shoulders dropped and the crows feet at the edge of her client’s eyes eased.

“You’re too kind,” the old woman tittered. Hands just as thin with joints a little swollen from arthritis lifted to bashfully touch her hair.

“A friend of mine says one can never be too kind, Mrs…” the young woman rebuked lightly while letting her voice drift off towards the end, fishing for a name.

“Mrs. Ida Thomas,” the elder filled in, smile reaching her eyes. Those eyes dipped down to look for a name tag, but found it missing. Her eyes darted back up, flustered, after hearing a little chuckle from the young woman across the counter. She was spared any more embarrassment as the other provided her name with a hand outstretched over the desk, palm open and fingers gently splayed. Her darker skin tone stood out against Mrs. Ida’s nearly translucent hue as they shook.

“Now, Mrs. Thomas, why don’t we get back to why you initially came in here?” she prompted, releasing the other’s hand and picking up the papers she had put down earlier. It was back to business after those words as she lead the consultation.

It would be nearly two hours later before she would finally be showing Mrs. Ida out politely. The two had gotten off topic again, but the tinkling of the little bell from above the front door of her office broke through their conversation. If that hadn’t done it, the cheerful and unmistakably loud call of her name in a familiar voice through the small space would have certainly done it. She smothered a chuckle as Mrs. Ida lightly jumped in her seat at the volume and suddenness. “That would be my friend, Papyrus,” she stated like it provided all the answers needed.

Mrs. Ida only nodded, currently turned in her seat with a curious gaze locked on the doorway. They could hear sure steps getting closer and closer as he marched his way to the inner sanctum. “He is quite… enthusiastic,” the older woman carefully chose her words and the younger held back a snort in response. Oh, she had no idea. She counted the seconds down in her head before finally the door to her private office was thrown open and the towering figure of the monster skeleton stepped inside with a flourish and yet another loud call of her nickname. She was sure if he was wearing his battle armor that the little cape on it would have been blowing in the nonexistent wind. How this monster managed to break physics always astounded her. Instead, he was dressed in blue training shorts and a loose pastel sweater over top his usual black tights that clung to his bones. On his feet were thankfully a pair of bright red trainers, rather than his fire engine red boots. Atleast they matched the just as bright red gloves.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO FULFILL HIS DUTIES AS THE GREATEST FRIE-” his monologue broke off as he finally took in the additional, apparently unexpected occupant of the office. “OH!” he jolted, empty sockets widening comically before he gathered himself and cleared his nonexistent throat, “Oh.” His volume dipped to what could be considered an “inside voice” considerately. The poor old woman had at first been in awe at the tall skeleton monster, but that awe had been replaced with a strained expression at the booming voice bouncing and filling the small space. The young woman was sure the skeleton had noticed and being the sweetheart he is, he had lowered his voice for the old woman’s comfort.

Before the moment of silence could stretch into something awkward, she gently tapped a nail on her desktop and then pushed herself to stand with one palm pressed flat to the smooth wood. With her other hand, she waved to the skeleton monster, “Papi-rus,” she greeted, having to stop herself from saying his nickname at the moment. She pouted under her mask as she noticed the little quirk to his teeth that gave away he was very much aware of her slip. She powered on and nodded her head to her client, “I was just finishing with Ms. Ida here,” she informed, introducing the two at the same time.

Ms. Ida seemed at a loss for words as Papyrus bounced back with a gloved hand thrust forward enthusiastically for a handshake. “Consider Yourself Lucky To Have Met THE GREAT PAPYRUS This Day, Hu- MRS. IDA!” She held in an inelegant snort at her friend’s efforts to keep his volume under control. Bless him. And bless Mrs. Ida who seemed even more starstruck, but thankfully had recovered just enough to lift a hand and take his. The old woman was now blinking at their hands as the skeleton’s much larger one gently gripped hers and was soon joined his other, sandwiching hers. She still hadn’t said a word and it took the young woman finally releasing a giggle to knock her out her stupor.

“Oh, goodness me! I have been so rude,” Mrs. Ida gasped, eyes lifting to look up at the skeleton who had leaned down with a concerned tilt to his teeth and scrunch to his surprisingly malleable eye sockets. “And I’ve worried you, I apologize, sweetie,” she went to hide behind her free hand, but seemed to think better of it and instead patted his hands that were still gripped around one of her own.

“Nyeh Heh Heh! It Is Quite Alright.” Papyrus’s words, but mostly his genuine laughter as his features brightened up seemed to melt the tension from the elder. “Afterall, That Sort of Reaction Is Expected-” the younger watched her client blink as the skeleton monster struck a pose. He stood tall, head held high, and one hand pressed to his purposely puffed chest with fingers splayed dramatically. His expression couldn’t look more smug and proud… then again, this was Papyrus. He could find a way and considering she had met some of his cousins, she knew it was possible. “-When One Meets A Skeleton As Cool As I Am! Wink!”

She could see her client’s eyes crinkling as she was undoubtedly smiling under her mask up at the monster. If it wouldn’t ruin the moment, she’d have taken a picture of the wholesome moment for memories. Instead, she gently tapped at her phone’s screen and it illuminated, displaying the time. Eyes widening briefly, she glanced up at the clock on the wall as well before sparing a glance out the window. The sun was not visible, but the world wasn’t quite dark yet. It was the cool colors of twilight that dominated the world outside. “It’s later than I realized,” she commented, mostly to herself, but the other two occupants still heard her and broke from their idle chatter.

Mrs. Ida peeked out the window as well before looking at her own wrist watch with a chuckle. Papyrus nodded in affirmation with arms crossed, not bothering to look outside or look to any clock. No, his focus was acutely on the youngest human in the room. Though his sockets lacked any eyelights, she could feel his gaze on her as those sockets narrowed. Leave it to Papyrus to scold her without saying a word; though she’s sure he’s practically vibrating in his metaphorical boots to lecture her. The reason he did not expect any guests in her office was because she should have been closing up a good hour ago and been ready to go by the time he stepped through her door. He was always punctual and most times early. Subconsciously, she twirled and pinched a curl at the nape of her neck as she looked away guiltily to the oh so interesting texture of the wood floors.

Mrs. Ida giggled at the silent exchange. Just what had she interrupted? Had they had a date planned? As amusing and precious as it was to watch the two, she would take pity on the girl. A smirk curved her lips under her mask as she decided to help the young agent out. She released a dramatic sigh before looking over and up to Papyrus. “Mind giving an old woman a hand? These joints of mine get stiff when I’ve idled too long,” she beckoned with an outstretched hand. It worked like a charm as the skeleton’s attention was immediately focused on the old woman. Once again, her hand was swamped in his gloved digits and with surprising care for someone so boisterous, he helped her stand.

“Stiff Joints Are Never Fun. I Would Know!” he joked, beaming as he earned yet another soft titter from the frail looking human before him. She looked so small and her hand, it felt… fragile. Like if he gripped too hard or moved too harshly, she would break. He offered his other hand for her to grip as well as she straightened up and steadied herself.

“I’m sure you do,” Mrs. Ida playfully replied. Her eyes moved back to the young woman who had finally left from behind her desk and now stood before the duo. “I’m sorry about taking up all your time like this,” she dipped her head to the young woman who quickly responded with raised palms and a shake of her head.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Mrs. Ida,” she assured. “It’s not your fault you make such good company,” she complimented, a teasing lilt to her voice as her eyes crinkled due to her hidden smile.

The old woman hushed the younger with feigned embarrassment. “Flatterer,” she accused lightly and didn’t bother to hide an unlady-like snort as her agent just wiggled her eyebrows in response.

Papyrus hummed as he listened to the exchange. He spared an anxious glance out the window and resisted tapping his toes in impatience. Not that he didn’t enjoy meeting new people--new potential friends--, he simply wished to spend time with his already established friend for their usual outing. “I Feel I Need To Remind You Two Of What Time it Is.” The statement did not have the intended affect as the two women simply laughed after a small lull to stare up at him. “NYEH!” His little burst seemed to only make their mirth worse, “THIS IS SERIOUS. WE HAVE PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS TO GET TO!” he was pouting and he knew it, but another glance at the clock and his sockets were narrowing as he leveled an accusing glare on his human friend. “CORRECTION! WE SHOULD ALREADY BE THERE!”

Mrs. Ida was thankful for the serotonin these two had blessed her with this evening as even the skeleton’s loss of volume control couldn’t bring her down at this point. “You two are just adorable!” she was practically cooing. After taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing, she felt the giggles dissipate. “Apologies, Papyrus, Dear, but it’s a southern thing.”

A beat of silence, then. “WHAT DOES A CARDINAL DIRECTION HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?” Yet another snort left the woman and she had to bring a hand up to hover in front of her masked mouth to suppress another bout of laughter.

Fighting her own battle against a bout of giggles, the young woman managed to speak up. “She’s referring to a geographical region, Papyrus,” she clarified, “It’s a running joke that southerners don’t know how to say goodbye since they take forever to part ways.” Both women watched the monster take in the information and sighing as he nodded firmly, indicating he understood. Not a moment later they were jumping as he straightened up, one hand on his hip, and the other pointing to his roof before swinging down. Once his hand stopped, the humans found themselves staring down his finger as the skeleton somehow managed to aim an even toothier grin at them.

“AS THE ONLY ONE HERE NOT A ‘SOUTHERNER,’ ALLOW ME TO BESTOW ON YOU HUMANS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE!” Papyrus declared, his tone exuberant, but unable to completely mask the sassy, sly lilt from his friend. Mrs. Ida, though, was none the wiser and just found the whole idea of being taught how to say goodbye entertaining. She nodded, agreeing to play along. “PERFECT! STEP ONE! LOOK AT EACH OTHER.” The two human women humored him as they made eye contact. Mrs. Ida gave the young woman an admonishing look as she wiggled those brows again. Thankfully, their teacher did not notice, or maybe he was just ignoring their antics. “GOOD! NOW, STEP TWO. REPEAT AFTER ME: GOOD NIGHT!”

It was such an abrupt order that both women just blinked in disbelief. The younger recovered first with a meager shake of her head and a giggle, “Good night, Mrs. Ida!” With a little nod to her client, the old woman replied with a just as enthusiastic farewell.

Papyrus nodded in approval with only a small narrowing of his eye sockets at the two as they giggled. “FINAL STEP: PART WAYS!” he stated with a flourished wave of his hand to the doorway. A tap on his arm brought his attention back to his friend who was gesturing for him to bend down. He did so with minimal complaint, but only completely quit his grumping as she set a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his metaphorical ear.

Mrs. Ida had only glanced at the doorway and just barely gotten to take a step before she was jumping in place as a loud gasp filled the room. Before she could question what had happened, she felt as if she was floating for a moment as she was quite literally swept off her feet and into Papyrus’s arms. She couldn’t have been more thankful for the mask mandate as it hid most of her quickly reddening face. She hadn’t been held in years, much less lifted so effortlessly. She was too stunned and flustered to utter any sort of protest.

“Sorry about that, ma’am, but with it getting dark outside, it would ease my mind if you allowed Papyrus to escort you to your car?” The old woman simply blinked at her junior and then up at the lad who currently had her suspended. Escorting was one thing, but to be carried?

“AND I FELT IN MY INFINITE WISDOM, IT WOULD BE MOST EFFICIENT IF I CARRIED YOU,” the skeleton interjected, reminding her that he had been aiming to teach them “efficient goodbyes.” “YOU ALSO STATED EARLIER THAT YOUR JOINTS GET STIFF. THIS WAY YOU DON’T HAVE TO STRAIN!” he added, proud and eager, “NO WORRIES ABOUT ME. MY BONES AND JOINTS ARE IN TIP TOP SHAPE! AND YOU, HUMAN IDA, ARE NO CHALLENGE TO HOLD!”

The elder just nodded along. “You were right, I was pretty lucky to meet you today,” she recalled his introduction fondly. With a final wave goodbye and short parting words, Mrs. Ida found herself being swept out the room, through a short hall, small waiting area, and finally out the front door.

That tinkling of a bell signaling to the young woman currently straightening her office and filing away papers that her client was gone and she now had until Papyrus got back to finish up.

Papyrus eased his impatience by thinking of his current task as training. A very easy warm up. A very unexpected, unplanned warm up. The elderly human’s… Mrs. Ida’s weight in his arms was no challenge; and despite the buzz in limbs begging him to move faster, the memory of her frail hands and aching bones helped keep him grounded. He settled into a steady, swift pace. His long legs covering plenty of ground with each step.

At first, the two had been chatting idly and he had been quick to get her to point out where she had parked. It was alarming to learn she had not parked anywhere and he had been confused until she mentioned she had “caught” a cab. Her little giggle as she took the time to explain what she meant and that she had not literally CAUGHT a cab. He admits he is still figuring out humans’ rather creative use of words or language. She’d even taken the time to explain “euphemisms” to him as he brought her to the nearest bus stop after a quick google to check the schedule and location.

“EUPHEMISMS SEEM LIKE SOMETHING MY BROTHER WOULD ENJOY,” he had commented. Mentally, he added on that his brother would probably catch on to them easier as well. Sans, along a couple of his “cousins,” was a walking dictionary, considering his preference for crossword puzzles. Maybe his puns would improve in cleverness if he introduced him to the world of euphemisms. One could only hope. Thankfully, he had plenty of that. The conversation had continued, easy and casual, until finally the bus stop came into view and the bus just rolling up.  
Papyrus picked up his pace just a bit and secured his grip on his passenger. Mrs. Ida managed to loose an arm to wave as both called to the driver to wait up. The bus remained idle thankfully and once they slowed to a stop before the door, it slid open to a rather plump man sitting in the driver’s seat who simply tipped his hat to them. “Lucky I saw you two in the rear view,” his words brought forth yet another little giggle for the old woman.

“Today is just my lucky day, it seems!” she boasted, tapping Papyrus’s shoulder as he eased her onto her own feet. The driver had gotten up and stood on the steps, hand held out to help his elder up the steps. “Goodness, all of you are going to have me spoiled by time I get home,” she teased, taking the young man’s hand and letting him guide her up onto the step. She could feel Papyrus kept a steadying hand at her back. What a sweet gentle monster.

“Oh! Before I forget,” she chirped and turned to look over her shoulder at the skeleton. Said skeleton didn’t bother hiding his widening smile as she still had to look up at him despite her standing on the top step at this point. She had simply huffed and set a hand on her hip, “Go easy on her, big guy.” If he had eyebrows, one would have been raised at her warning tone. Before he could even part his teeth to ask her to elaborate, she was speaking again, “Unless that’s what you two are into.” If his tongue was summoned, he’d be choking on it. The driver was doing so for him as he could hear the portly human coughing and beating at his chest. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Papyrus,” she finished with a wink and her tone was so cheeky, even his dense skull knew what she was implying.

It wasn’t until the doors of the bus had closed that he could practically feel his skull burning with excess magic summoned to surface in his embarrassment. He buried his face in his hands, trying his best to muffle his flustered screech. It didn’t do much. As streets down, some poor soul was wondering if they had left their tea kettle on.


	2. HAIR IS MAGIC

As soon as she heard the bell above her door ring and the door settle closed with a click, she was rushing around her office tidying up and filing paperwork. She knew Papyrus would not waste any time if he could help it. She only hoped he took it easy on the little old woman. She had a feeling Mrs. Ida was tougher than she looked, but considering this was only their first meeting, she couldn’t help thinking she looked as fragile as a porcelain doll. “Please don’t break my client, Papi,” she pleaded, shutting and locking the last drawer on her desk for the day. 

Her business was still small so she didn’t have any need for filing cabinets just yet, but it had been picking up. Most of her clients were elderly, which was to be expected when one dealt with wills, funerals, and burials. She wished more young people thought of wills. A properly notarised and established will could ease the mind, not only because it dictated what happens to your earthly possessions after death. No, a will could make sure your body and memory is honored how you wished despite you no longer being there. She had witnessed one too many funerals that were practically an insult; honestly, some it would have been less offensive to simply spit on the dead’s grave. 

Just as she felt her brows pinching, she huffed and closed her eyes as she took in a few calming breaths. It does no one any good getting mad on her own. A little snort escaped her at that thought. Her getting “mad on her own” was the catalyst for her to start her own business. “ANGER IS NOT INHERENTLY BAD. IT IS JUST HOW YOU DIRECT IT!” She made a mental note to thank a certain tall, pointy skeleton in her life for those words. She sent a mental thank you to his therapist as well. 

As her mind jumped from one subject to the next, her hands and feet had stayed moving. By the time she zoned back in, she had finished tidying up and sanitizing the office. “Bad habit there,” she muttered, tossing the soiled paper towel into the bin tucked underneath her desk. A quick peek inside determined it wasn’t nearly full enough to toss and nothing in the bin would smell or pose a hazard. It could go another day. 

Peeking at the clock as she locked the windows and pulled the curtains closed, she noted it had been only a couple minutes. Papyrus wasn’t back yet, surprisingly. She should be thankful as that means he didn’t rush and possibly her client wouldn’t be recovering from whiplash. She swears that skeleton could give a cheetah a run for its money. What’s terrifying is he is not even the fastest of the monsters she has met. Monsters were something else.

A couple minutes later and she had finished all her closing tasks: office locked up, hall and waiting area swept and wiped down, the last of the windows curtained, and furniture and often touched places sanitized. She’d even given the guest bathroom a quick clean up and gathered the dirty mugs and empty plate from the little refreshment corner she provided for clients waiting. Slipping her phone from her pocket, she checked the time with a quick double tap. Goodness, had Mrs. Ida parked that far down? Maybe she didn’t like parallel parking on these streets and instead parked in one of the hidden lots just off teh main road? Or had the two gotten lost? 

A bubble of anxious energy caught in her throat as her mind jumped to the possibility that they were in trouble. She forced herself to take a breath and simply breathe. No, this was a safer area. She’d moved and chosen to place her business here for that reason. It did little to comfort. She was not ignorant to the fact that no matter how “safe” a place is, it is not completely immune to danger and the unfairness of life. Plus, Papyrus was a monster. And sadly, the portion of humanity that didn’t like change, didn’t like different, turned their prejudices to them or just broadened their spectrum of hate. What was even sadder was that some people of color, people who should know better and know how it feels to be treated as subhuman, hopped on the bandwagon; they were just happy it wasn’t directed at them anymore. 

The pinch and strain in her forehead told her she needed to calm down. She breathed in slowly, deeply, and held it, counting down from ten as she rolled her shoulders back and let them drop. Once she hit zero, she let the air held in her lungs out in one long, even breath. She could feel the tension melting off, the bubble gone, and overall she felt lighter. Mal would be proud. She almost missed the munchkin flicking her forehead any time he saw her frowning. It reminded her of her mother telling her to “fix her face.” 

Moving on, she saw she had a few notifications, but none were messages from her friend. She wished he sent something if it was going to take time for him to get back. She peeked out the front door and squinted down the street, both ways, trying to locate the two. She couldn’t see either, but she did see Papyrus’s red sports car parked just in front. 

The area she lived in was considered the downtown area. It was mostly small businesses, shops, restaurants, a couple bars further over, and if you traveled just a few minutes further, you would hit the residential area. Well, the official residential area, anyway. And in the opposite direction was the main center of Ebott. Most business owners in downtown lived above their work space and some even rented out rooms. Her little office was on the quieter of the two main streets that had mostly offices, a little cafe, and a couple shops. This was Eighth Street. If you wanted to party, go to Sixth Street. That was where all the bars, clubs, taverns, and odd little gems were. She enjoyed going to hunt down her favorite food vendor.

Stepping outside, she sighed as the cool night air kissed at her cheeks and the exposed skin of her arms, causing goosebumps to rise. She was tempted to wait outside for him, but he expected her ready to go once he got back. One more glance at the clock on her phone and she decided to wait for him inside. He was an adult. She needed to have faith he could take care of himself. Plus, she had no clue which way they had gone and it would do no good to possibly wander in the wrong direction searching for them. She muttered a quick little wish for their safety before turning around and going back inside. 

Like others on this street, she lived above her office space on the second floor. It felt nice to know her mortgage payments went to owning both her home and place of business one day. It also just felt good to have a space all to herself. She loved her mother and siblings, but she had been ready to go. Scooping up the dirty dishes on her way back to the little hallway, she balanced the tray in one hand and fished out her keys with the other. She could thank those years of waitressing and retail for two things: multitasking skills and patience. Keys secured, she found the right one, and unlocked the doorway to her haven. She left the door unlocked and just slightly ajar to let Papyrus know where she was and to let himself in.

It was clever how the building was set up. The ground floor had an office space, waiting area, guest bathroom, and small hallway connecting all three. The extra door in the hallway just looked like it would lead to a broom closet. It tickled her inner child each time she had to slide the false wall away and reveal the stairs that led up into her second story home. Stepping up the first few steps, she slid the wall back into place, then flicked a switch to turn on the lights in the stairwell before she quickly ascended the rest of the stairs. 

On the landing, she tapped a foot on a nearby standing lamp and it filled the living room with gentle, warm light. She prefered using lamps over built in lighting. Most lighting in apartments were bright white and blue toned, while she had grown up with warmer, off white bulbs. She also was simply used to a dimmer environment back in her mother’s house. They didn’t keep lights running all day long. Only time the lights were on was at night for a bit and if you needed to look for something. She liked to consider her home cozy and welcoming despite the low lighting.

This space was enough. It felt bigger than it was since it was just her living here. It was hers, and it felt amazing every time she walked around her home how she wished, cooked what she wanted to eat, placed things where she wanted, and one day, she’d maybe get a pet. Removing her shoes at the landing, she slipped on a pair of slippers and padded across the vinyl flooring. While it was nice not having an inch of permanent carpet in her home, she had learned these sorts of floors could be chilly and it was a habit not worth breaking to wear house slippers or slides inside. 

She beelined for her bedroom after dropping off the dishes in the sink to take care of later and tossing her mask into the trashcan. Now, she needed to get changed and do something about this hair. The “previous arrangements” Papyrus had spoken of was their weekly workout session. Usually, he would pop in after she had closed up and the two of them would take a jog or walk around the block, then hit the local gym. Her hair being down during a workout was just asking for frizz, tangles, and possibly it getting in the equipment at the gym. Plus, it was just hot as hell to keep it down while moving that much. 

While she just wanted to toss off her clothes and bra without a care and face plant on her bed, maybe veg out on the couch, she knew she couldn’t cancel on Papyrus. Her drip for today was a four piece pantsuit gifted to her by Black and Edge for her birthday not long ago. Something about her needing to look powerful as a business woman and “none of her current attire was up to their standards.” The two had amazing taste though, so she couldn’t get too mad at them dissing her wardrobe. The blouse was made from a soft fabric in her favorite color. A black corset style vest with an honestly beautiful work of art of the back comprised of hand stitched embroidery and silk fabric, with matching silk lacing. The pants were custom fit--how they knew her measurements was still a mystery, but she suspected Wine had something to with it-- and also black. The long trenchcoat that matched with it that she hadn’t worn today was made of a heavy fabric in her favorite color with that same patterned silk lining the inside. It was hanging in her closet. She carefully removed the peices she wore before laying them on her bed neatly to avoid unnecessary wrinkles. She was pretty sure this suit was the most expensive thing in her home. 

Digging through drawers, she picked out a pair of athletic tights, a sports bra, and a t-shirt the pun lovers of the skeleton family had given her. While it didn’t have a pun on it, it made for a lot of fun interaction when she wore it. Across the chest was written “Bet you Can’t Read the Back of This Shirt” and on the back “Bet You Can’t Read the Front of This Shirt.” The amount of people who try to slyly look at the other side after reading one then slinking away after realized they had been tricked was always amusing. 

It took less than a second for her to unclasp her current bra and throw it into her hamper. It took a bit more time to slip on and clasp her sports bra. She took a moment to debate using the the j-hook before deciding it couldn’t hurt to have a little more stability. She froze as she heard movement in her house, something sliding, and then footsteps. She only began moving again after hearing Papyrus annouce his presence. She practically ripped her tights up her legs as she was very aware of the sound of his now bare feet clicking across her living room and getting closer. Her shirt was tugged over her head and arms slid through her shirt sleeves just as he poked his skull through her bedroom door, which she had apparently left open in her haste. Whoops. 

“Papi!” she greeted with a little wave, blowing at her now mussed up hair from rushing to get dressed. She eventually had to push it out her face as it simply kept falling back. She was sure she looked a right mess at the moment. 

* * *

Once Papyrus was sure he wouldn’t look like a nightlight bobbing along on his way back to his friend’s home, he finally left the cover of the bus stop and back onto the sidewalk. His mind was running over everything that had happened that evening. He wondered what possibly led the elderly human to assume he and his friend would be… canoodling, canoodling was a word he could handle to describe what she was hinting at. He preferred his magic to stay put right now. An exasperated sigh fell from his parted teeth as he considered the possibility that he was just overthinking and overanalyzing. The elderly human was probably just pulling a dirty jape on him. The next time they met, he would have to return the favor. Of course with a more classy, sophisticated jape, but a jape none the less.

His sockets took in just how dark it was getting. How long had he been out? Did it really take that long to pretty much jog to the bus stop? Or had he taken that long to recover? A glance at the sky revealed the stars were in full view now, but the moon was still low. He focused on his hearing, but didn’t hear the usual ruckus from Sixth Street; so, it couldn’t have taken too long. 

“NO SENSE IN WASTING ANYMORE TIME STANDING HERE!” he declared with a little stomp of his foot. “AND NOW I HAVE NOTHING HOLDING ME BACK!!” he practically cackled as he launched into a sprint, tearing down the sidewalk. She had better be prepared, especially considering all the extra time she had been given unintentionally. He refused to fail in his duties as her best and greatest friend. One such duty was pushing and supporting her goals. He had been ecstatic when she had told him she wanted his help with improving her health and getting in shape that first time. Not only had she come to HIM out of everyone, but now he could hang out with her even more. 

Papyrus didn’t stop running until he had to hit the brakes infront of her front door. He noted that the lights had been turned off downstairs, but he could see warm light filtering through the second story window. Making his way inside, he closed and locked the front door, sliding the bolt at the top of door to secure it. There was two ways in and out of her home, this front door and the “back door.” The back door actually led to a side patio that wrapped around back to connect to a second staircase outside. He locked the doorway in the hall as well before practically bounding up the stairwell. 

He made sure to call out your name once he reached the landing, “READY OR NOT, I HAVE RETURNED!!!” he added with his best impression of Edge’s cackle for humor. As he removed his shoes and set them on the rack against the wall, he could hear shuffling and little thumps from across the small, cozy home. His toes lightly clicked against the floor as he made his way to her room. As he got closer, he could hear the shuffling get more urgent and a little curse here and there. 

“HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT IN HERE?” he didn’t know what he had expected when he peeked into her room, but his teeth clicked shut audibly as he tried to stifle a snort and keep himself from grinning. The human had apparrently been hurrying to finish dressing and had just pulled her shirt down. He had peeked in just as her head finally popped through her collar, or rather all he could see was an adorable fluffball. Her curls which had been relatively neat and orderly before was now... well, everywhere. He could see her lips which were now pouting after a failed attampt at blowing her hair out of her face. Her nose crinkling cutely in aggravation as she brings a hand up to shove the errant curls back. 

His sockets focused on her fingers which had been all but swallowed up by her hair. The digits sinking in and he couldn’t help wondering how it would feel to tangle his own digits into her tresses. Was it as soft as it looked? Or would it be coarse? It wasn’t his first time wondering such things. She had a habit of playing with this one particular curl at her nape. He would often catch her twisting, pulling, and twirling that one lock of hair endlessly. That one curl now sticks out cutely anytime she wears her hair down and his phalanges itch to play with it like she does anytime he sees it. 

“Papi?” 

The skeleton jolted as he refocused on the present as her voice, so much closer than before, and a fleshy palm passing his vision. He blinked as her face came into view, looking up at him with a warm flush to her face. Well, what of her face he could see as she had released her hair and some had fallen back in her face again. 

“I know my hair’s a mess right now, but I didn’t think it was so bad to leave you speechless,” she muttered, looking away as her hand came up to play with THAT curl again. He tore his sockets from her fingers deftly twisting the curl and brought a hand to catch hers, moving it away. She released the curl with little resistance, but still refused to look at him. That little curl snapped back and while he wished he could appreciate and marvel at how it did that, he had a friend to comfort. 

“WHILE YOUR HAIR, YES, IS A MESS RIGHT NOW,” he held back a wince as her shoulders hunched a bit, “I DON’T THINK THAT’S A BAD THING!” he added with a bright smile. He could see her chancing a peek up at him from the corner of her eye. If she didn’t like people touching her face suddenly, he would have simply turned her head himself. Good- NO, GREAT friends respect boundaries. “IN FACT, I THINK IT’S VERY… OH, WHAT IS IT YOU HUMAN’S SAY?” he paused, pretending to think for a moment before snapping his phalanges, “CHIC!!! NO, FIERCE!! YES, I LIKE THAT ONE MUCH BETTER!” Was his volume control out the window at this point? Yes. Did he care? No. Because now she was looking at him fully, head tilted back and forcing curls to fall away. Her flush seemed to have worsened though. 

Papyrus watched her as she took a minute to suck in a deep breath and exhale, closing her eyes briefly. The shock had apparently worn off as she now looked up at him bashfully from under her lashes. “Papi, has anyone told you you’re too much sometimes?” she asked with a little shake of her head as she seemed to be fighting back a smile.

He knew it was probably one of those questions that humans didn’t expect answers to, but he just grinned wider and answered anyway. “NOPE! AFTERALL, THE KEY TO POPULARITY IS LEAVING THEM WANTING MORE! NYEH HEHEH!!” And now his evening was even better as her laughter rang in his skull and she was smiling again, genuine and joyful. 

* * *

Leave it to Papyrus to bring her mood back up in mere moments and hype her up to a point she might consider leaving the house like this. If only her hair didn’t pose a safety hazard at the gym and didn’t trap heat like a lion’s mane in the savanna. “Thanks, Papi,” she wiped a tear that had gathered in her eyes and took another moment to calm down and catch her breath. 

“ANYTIME FOR MY FAVORITE FLUFFY HUMAN!” her skeleton friend boasted. She just quirked a brow at the affectionate descriptor. She couldn’t say anything about it though, since half the skeleton household had nicknamed her as such. She couldn’t even argue that it didn’t fit. It was better than “Curly” atleast, or the various food and drink related nicknames Sugar and Oak had tried on her. 

Sighing, she loosed her hand from her friend’s grip and stepped back. “Come on, let’s get out of the door. Can’t be good for your back and neck,” she ushered him in with a gentle tug to his hand. He stepped inside with little urging and almost immediately he was rolling his shoulders and stretching. He must not have realized how long they had been in the doorway. Thankfully, her home had higher ceilings than normal, but sadly the doorways were still made for average sized humans so anytime the Papyri or Oak visited, they had to duck through the doorways. She was saving up for renovations for atleast the first floor to be more monster accommodating one day. 

Letting go of his hand, she padded across her room and into her private bath. While her bathroom wasn’t extravagant, it atleast was nicer and bigger than any bathroom she had used before now. Correction, it was the nicest before she visited the skeletons’ house. She could have lived in that tub. The water pressure in the shower had been amazing as well. Stepping up to the sink and vanity, her eyes scanned the counter top for a particular item. “There you are,” she mumbled as she picked up the spray bottle. It was filled with water and detangler, just the miracle she needed to help her tame this mane and hopefully get it pulled back into atleast a ponytail. Maybe she should go with a pineapple puff? No, too many loose ends to get caught on equipment. A bun then? Or a braid? After checking how easy her hair would cooperate, she settled on two thick french plaits.

She hadn’t even gotten to pull the trigger once before she heard Papyrus in the doorway as he ducked through and stared at her with curious empty sockets. Even without eyelights, she could feel where his focus was. It was on her hand poised with a spray bottle aimed at her hair. Rather than saying anything or asking what he wanted, she pulled the trigger and started the process of dampening her hair. It wasn’t until her curls started to get weighed down with moisture that Papyrus finally spoke up. 

“HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Her gaze locked with his visage in the mirror as he had moved closer. His gaze wasn’t on the spray bottle anymore and rather on the top of her head. What was so interesting that he had to move closer? While this bathroom was on the bigger side, it wasn’t quite big enough to not feel cramped with a towering skeleton monster sharing the space as well.

“Taming this hair down,” she stated simply and she could see his teeth part to ask another question, most likely “why” she was doing this after his encouragement. “Papi, you do remember where we’re going tonight right?” She didn’t continue speaking until he nodded, “Sorry to tell you, but this FIERCE hair is a little too much for the gym. It gets caught on a shit around here, rather not think of what it could get caught on at a place with heavy weights, equipment, and the occasional fool who can’t keep his or her or their hands to themselves.” She’d started off wanting to play it off lightly with a joke, but some frustration had leaked into her voice as she remembered there were still people who didn’t understand you couldn’t treat others like a petting zoo. 

It’s not like touching her hair is completely off limits. Just ask first, most times she’s fine with it so long as they don’t over do it. Plus, she worked to hard to ensure the health and texture of her hair for it go unappeciated by not only herself, but those close to her. Strangely, none of her skeleton friends, except one, had recently tried or asked to touch it. Only one had tried and she had gotten on him about consent. That had been Cash, back when they had first met, but now he was pest about it and she had taken to telling him no just to spite him.

Zoning back in, she noticed Papyrus’s teeth had just closed, “Sorry, did you say something? Fraid I missed it,” she piped up apologetically as she started wetting her hair again. Maybe it would have been easier to just duck her head under the shower at this point. “Papi?” she called as he didn’t answer, peeking up at him again in mirror, but he ssemed to be lost in his thoughts again. Sighing, she left him to it and picked up a wide tooth comb and began working out knots gently as she could. 

* * *

Papyrus had originally ducked into the bathroom to ask if he could get himself a glass of water while he waited, but had been struck with curiosity as he saw his human friend aiming a spray bottle at her head, more specifically her hair. It was similar to the spray bottle they had used to discipline the cats back home at one point. He was aware that humans had various products--thousands he had discovered--for their hair. Especially the women of the species, but the men weren’t exempt either. It had been overwhelming the first time he had stepped into a store on the surface. They just had an overwhelming amount of choices for pretty much everything. 

He wandered closer for a better look as she began spritzing her hair. He could smell that the bottle didn’t just contain water. It didn’t smell bad though. No, it smelled warm and comforting, just like her. His sockets locked onto how the water seemed to bead and run down her hair, reminding him of how water would just roll off a duck’s back. Some of the beads got caught on the kinks and turns her hair would make, but her fingers helped to gently coax the water to absorb until her hair started to lay down with the excess moisture. He’d asked what she was doing, but much to his shame, he was hardly focusing on her answer. 

He nodded to her question. Of course he knew where they were going, but wasn’t quite understanding why the place mattered? Then again, now that he thinks about it, he had never seen her wear her hair down when they went to the gym or on runs. He’d simply assumed it was her preferred look for those moments and he enjoyed seeing all the different updos she could manipulate her hair into. He wasn’t afraid to admit he didn’t want her to “tame” her hair as she had put it right now. 

He more heard her explanation, rather than actively listening, but understood what she saying. It made sense. It was practical reasoning. He kept quiet as the last bit registered with him and held in a dejected sigh. He had hoped Cash was pulling everyone’s legs about her not liking others touching her hair. His alternate was almost also pulling pranks and getting lectured for it. “Of All Things For Cash to Be Serious About…” he muttered, not caring if he was pouting. 

He let himself get lost in the practiced movements of her hands. She hadn’t shooed him away so he guessed he was permitted to stay and watch. He took note of how she worked a comb through her hair, the teeth were wider than the gag comb Sans carried in his hoodie pocket and she gently worked out knots starting at the ends and moving up. Once she deemed her hair knot free, she had grabbed an even funnier looking comb. This one had thinly spaced teeth, but had a long piece extending from the relatively small comb part. She used the long tapered part to part her hair down the middle then in what seemed effortless, she twisted one side of her hair and stuck the long bit through it like a hair pin. To his surprise, it stayed in place and didn’t unravel. Was she going to do this to the other side as well? Combs were an odd accessory, but he wasn't judging.

His head tilted as it almost looked like she getting her fingers tangled, but he finally figured out what she doing once she started moving. He watched in muted amazement as she braided with practiced ease, fingers gathering new hair to work in as she moved from her temple to her nape. The braid was chunky and laid neatly against her scalp, while the rest rested against her shoulder and neck as she finished it. She plucked the comb from her hair and ran the teeth through the end of the braid before twisting. The end result was a neat curl at the end that worked like magic to him keep the entire thing from unraveling. His jaw had dropped open without him noticing, only clacking closed as heard her giggle. Her fingers were already braiding the other side as she smiled teasingly up at him in the mirror. 

Cheekbones flushing pink with magic for the second time that evening, Papyrus was thankful there were no windows in this room as he was sure his friend would not appreciate him throwing himself through it to get away from his embarrassment. “IT’S RUDE TO STARE,” he griped, only flushing more as she smiled more. “NO, STOP THAT. CEASE!” he commanded, straightening up with a flustered glare as she was practically grinning up at him now.

“Stop what, hmm?” Oh no. “And what do you mean it’s rude to stare? Weren’t you staring at me this for the past… ooooh, couple minutes?” Damn it. 

Papyrus had nothing to say in defense, but a mess of words poured from his jaws and stars, maybe he should try throwing himself through that wall there. It couldn’t be that thick. He was sure he was practically glowing by now and he should just respond with his normal snark, but his usually brilliant mind was failing him at the moment. Once again he found himself muffling an embarrassed screech in his palms as a human woman laughed. Atleast this time, said woman was trying to comfort him and bring him back down to earth with familiar warmth and comfort that was all her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone else have that one curl that is their fave?


	3. LIVING ON THE EDGE

“So, what took so long with Mrs. Ida?” She had just finished locking up the house and they were now descending the back staircase. It had been a mad dash to get finished and out the door since she flustered Papyrus in the bathroom. If it was petty vengeance for teasing him, she didn’t know, but he had threatened to carry her out in a much similar way to how he does with Sans if she didn’t “MAKE HASTE.” Needless to say, she hadn’t been given a moment until now to inquire what had happened earlier that evening. “I was startin’ ta wonder if you’d gotten lost…” she mumbled, her tone giving away just how worried she had been despite trying to joke it off now. She could hear him lightly click his teeth in acknowledgement. 

“Mrs. Ida Had Not Driven Here,” he started and she arched a brow before chuckling as it clicked. How had she not considered a woman of Ida’s age might not drive? Would it have been presumptuous to have asked though? “She Had Said She ‘Caught’ A Cab, But Not Literally,” he was rambling a bit, but she wasn't complaining. She lifted her gaze from the paved pathway they were walking along and up to her friend. She could hear an edge of bashfulness to his voice as he admitted the old woman taught him about “euphemisms.” His retelling was quickly veering off into a tangent, ranging from complaining and praising the many different facets of language to pondering if it was worth getting his brother some study materials. He griped it was a fifty-fifty chance to either improve his jokes and puns, or make them so much worse. 

“Oh, I think it’d be worth it!” she piped up, looking away as he cut off his rant and directed his gaze down at her. She didn’t need to look at him right now. She could very easily guess his expression and just knew those sockets of his were narrowing as he sent her a suspicious look. 

A beat of silence then “THEN I WILL LEAVE SANS ALONE.” 

She fought back a giggle, “Aw, c’mon! Don’t you want his puns to be up to your standards?” She tipped her head back as she directed a cheeky grin his way. 

Papyrus just huffed, crossing his arms over his chest which was now missing the pastel sweater from earlier. He had taken it off before they left the house to reveal his “Jog Boy” top. “IT IS OBVIOUS YOU ARE HOPING FOR THE OPPOSITE!” he rebuked, “AND DON’T EVEN TRY TO ARGUE. I KNOW YOU TOO WELL! BEST. FRIEND.” He emphasized those last two words like it was the most solid evidence to ever exist. 

With a little defeated shrug of her shoulders, she blew a raspberry his way. “Fiiiine,” she drug out the word, “But you know you love his jokes and puns anyways.” A frustrated noise hissed past his teeth as he shamefully agreed. “Soooo, going off that logic…” she started, a devious curl to her lips and twinkle in her eyes as she moved in front the skeleton. “Wouldn’t you love his jokes EVEN MORE if they got WORSE?” she pushed, brows waggling as she watched Papyrus freeze, his mind working through what she just said. Once his mind finally wrapped around her hypothesis, he gripped his skull, falling to his knees, and let out possibly the most anguished, dramatic scream. Apparently, he couldn't find fault with his human friend’s absurd logic.

* * *

The temperature outside had dropped once again in such little time and despite the slight chill, she couldn’t feel any of it. It would be a miracle at this point if she could. No, she’d be thankful to as it would mean she wouldn’t be having the workout from hell right now. Maybe she had teased him a wee bit too much. 

“Paaaapiiiii!” she griped, surprised she could even get out a whine that long considering she could barely catch her breath, “I said! I was-!” What was supposed to be an easy jog had turned a into suicide run. “SORRY!” Papyrus was behind her setting the pace and any time she slowed too much, he would pinch or smack whatever part of her he could reach at that moment. So far, her left butt cheek had felt the brunt of it along with her upper thighs. 

“FOCUS! CONTROL YOUR BREATHING, HUMAN!” he snapped, ignoring her plea, and she wondered briefly if maybe Edge had snuck up and taken her normally gentle friend’s place. A pinch on her elbow had her picking up her pace and focusing on the now. She had already learned she wasn’t allowed to look back, plus it didn’t help any with balance or keeping pace. “LOOK! THERE IS YOUR GOAL ONLY A FEW MORE STEPS UP AHEAD!” Curse him for not even sounding out of breath. She knew these skeletons don’t technically need to breathe, but at least huff a bit or something in sympathy here. 

Papyrus had not been lying though. Just one more block down was the gym, or as she thought of it: her salvation. Zeroing in on the building that was getting closer and closer, she focused on her breathing to bring it down from frantic pants to something more disciplined: slower and deeper. It was a strange feeling as her mind calmed. Heh, maybe her old coach had a point when he said the human body can do a lot more than the mind thinks. 

“START SLOWING DOWN,” she gratefully followed the order and began easing her pace, but aware of him behind her still setting the pace. She supposed one day she would be grateful to him for not letting her come to a dead stop. Today, in this moment, she wasn’t as the slow ease of the pace was almost as tortuous as the marathon she had been forced to run. “WE’VE ARRIVED. YOU CAN REST NOW.” He didn’t need to say it twice as the young woman nearly crumpled before the doors of the gym. Bent over with hands on splayed knees as she sucked in air like it was going to get away. She could feel a large hand rubbing her back and was aware that Papyrus was saying something, possibly praises or encouragements, but she could barely hear over the rush of blood, her pounding heart that seemed so much louder and next to her ears, and her puffs that were thankfully slowing as she caught her breath. 

* * *

Papyrus felt just a little guilty as he watched his friend recover from their run, but not enough to apologize. He kept rubbing soothing circles onto her hunched back. “AMAZING WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH WHEN WE PUSH OURSELVES,” he gently pushed at her spine, encouraging her to straighten it rather than bowing. He had a feeling she wasn’t hearing a word he was saying, but continued to sing her praises as he opened his dimensional box and took out a bottle of water. “LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE! YOU ALREADY HIT YOUR HEART RATE GOAL FOR TONIGHT AND WE CAN WALK BACK,” he cracked the cap on the bottle. He couldn’t hear her gasping for breath anymore, but she was still hunched over. “COME ON, WE STILL-”

“I THOUGHT I RECOGNIZED THAT UNCEASING CHEER,” a new voice cut in, one he recognized as well. Looking up from his friend, he spotted the pricklier version of himself leaning out the doors of the gym. Edge’s narrow sockets stared the two of them down, but he felt no ire from the other, just curiosity and some irritation. 

“OH, WELL HELLO, EDGE,” he greeted as cheerfully as he could despite the mounting confusion he was feeling. He could feel his friend tense for a moment beneath his hand before relaxing again. Her heart rate had slowed to normal by now, but had picked up just a bit at the mention of Edge. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” If he remembered correctly, his fell counterpart usually didn’t work out this particular day, or at least not at night. 

Edge only huffed as he finally stepped fully outside and marched up to his doppelganger. “WHAT DO YOU THINK?” he snipped, arms crossed as he came to a stop just a few feet from the two. 

Oh, how hard Papyrus’s eyelights would have rolled if he had them. “OH, I DON’T KNOW, BUT SINCE YOU ASKED SO NICELY!” he started, hand lifting to tap a phalange against his chin in feigned thought. “AHA! YOU HAVE FINALLY DECIDED TO VISIT THE CHIROPRACTOR WHO WORKS TONIGHT AND GET THAT ATTITUDE STRAIGHTENED UP!” he declared with utmost confidence, somehow managing to sound sincerely elated in a way only Papyrus could.

A silent staredown ensued as Papyrus just kept smiling brightly in feigned innocence. He could see that Edge wanted to be mad at him, but couldn’t hide that little proud quirk of his sharp fangs. The moment was broken as his friend brought attention back to herself with a poorly smothered laugh. 

* * *

She had been quiet through the entire encounter. Hearing Edge’s voice after just wondering about him during that hellish run had her wondering if she had somehow summoned him with just a single thought. She took a moment to pray to whatever gods or deities were out there to take mercy on her. She would hold back on the teasing and being a little shit, just no more torture tonight. Maybe if she stays real quiet, she could avoid getting Edge’s attention and lessen her chances of irreparable damage.

That all went out the window as a little snort pushed past her lips. Leave it to Papyrus to sass one of the pointiest, scary-looking monsters around. “I need to know where you get that audacity from,” she didn’t bother trying to contain the laugh anymore as she straightened up with a roll of her shoulders, “I could use some of it.”

Both skeletons huffed at that, but it was Edge who spoke up first, “YOU HAVE PLENTY OF IT ALREADY, BRAT.” 

Papyrus nodded along, “ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING YOUR BEHAVIOR TONIGHT.”

She pouted, parting her lips to argue, but froze as Edge had uncrossed his arms with an appraising look sent her way. 

“OH? AND JUST WHAT HAS SHE DONE?” Edge questioned, voice full of amusement as he watched the human between them shake her head and send a pleading look to Papyrus. She was begging with just her eyes for him to not throw her under the bus. No such luck as he began filling Edge in on all her teasing and poking fun that night. He decided to add on that she had been running late at that. 

Throughout it all, Edge was prowling closer and closer until he was practically invading her space. He must have already been working out when they came since she could smell something spicy, like cinnamon, with just a little musk wafting from him once he was close enough. Usually he was very keen on making sure his scent was barely noticeable, especially after the first time she commented on it. It hadn’t been a bad comment. It smelled quite nice, just like now, but since then she only got lucky to get a whiff here and there. As much as she wanted to take a step back, she stubbornly kept eye contact and straightened up even more. 

“BUT SHE DID RUN ALL THE WAY HERE. NONSTOP,” Papyrus had finished his recount with her most recent accomplishment. She let herself feel proud as she watched Edge’s cruel smile soften just a bit with awe and pride. With how close he was though, she could practically feel the rumble as he hummed thoughtfully. 

“Then I Guess She Has Earned Forgiveness,” his voice should not be allowed to be at that volume. It still had that scratchy quality to it, but the low volume just increased that damnable rumbling that was causing warmth to bloom in her chest and hopefully not on her face. “BUT,” she gulped as that cruel lilt returned and he leaned in, “WHY STOP THERE?” No. “I THINK IT’S TIME WE HELP OUR FRIEND LEARN WHAT HER NEW LIMITS ARE. AREN’T YOU CURIOUS, BRAT?” No, no she was not. 

In a last ditch effort to get out this, she leaned to look pleadingly at Papyrus, but he wasn’t even paying her any mind as he seemed to be pondering something. One foot was tapping as he rested an elbow in the palm of his opposing arm’s hand. A water bottle was pinned between his arm and chest. A distal phalange tapped away at his temple as he hummed. Sockets squinted for the few moments he took to think it over. Hope bloomed as he finally looked to them with that signature toothy grin of his. “GREAT IDEA, EDGE!” How quickly hope shattered. 

* * *

~ _THREE HOURS LATER_ ~

* * *

“I hate you both…” the words lacked energy and any true vitriol. She couldn’t even muster the energy to feel any shame or shyness pertaining to her current predicament. She was now aware of muscles she never knew she had and she was sure the next morning would be hell. Would she even be able to move tomorrow? These two had done just what they promised and pushed her to find new limits, but the cost was her ability to pretty much function on her own. Her legs were like jelly and her arms were just barely listening to her. Her core wasn’t putting up a fuss right now, but she knew it was coming. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad as the two had made sure she drank water, stretched, and did cool downs. 

Papyrus had taken pity on her when he saw her physical state and insisted he carry her. He had won despite her stubborn efforts to stand and walk in the locker room afterwards. Edge had even chided her, telling her to quit being fussy, and just accept the help or crawl. She doubted he would have actually let her crawl out the gym. 

“We Know You Don’t Mean That,” one of her tormentors answered with a far too jovial tone. The other just snickered off to her left and feeling contrary, she turned her face the opposite way, which ended up with her pretty much nuzzling into Papyrus’s neck as he was currently carrying her piggyback. Rather than looping his arms under her knees and holding her that way, he had gone with braiding his fingers behind his back and letting her pretty much sit on his palms. His arms kept her legs pinned to his sides. He was bent forward slightly which kept her from having to hold on as tightly and instead just lay against his back. 

An indignant huff was the only answer she graced them with. She could feel Papyrus’s little laugh more than hear it as it caused her to bounce gently on his back. Meanwhile, the smell of sweet mint and citrus invaded her senses from where her face was tucked. It was honestly a little unfair how these skeletons could smell so good after a hard workout. She hoped she didn’t stink… 

A sharp distal poked her shoulder and stubbornly she ignored its owner. The pokes continued until finally it was just stabbing into her already sore flesh and she gave in, rolling to face the sharp skeleton once more. To her surprise, a banana was currently being held right in front of her face. It had already been partially peeled. She blinked and it was still there. “A banana?” she mumbled, mentally slapping herself for stating the obvious.

Edge snickered, “AT LEAST THAT MUSCLE IN YOUR HEAD IS STILL SOMEWHAT VIABLE.” His humor had always been drier than the Sahara and now was no exception. Any witness would have thought he was beating a dog that was already down.

“If you’re talking about my brain, it’s actually made of fat,” she replied, just as dry and resting her cheek against Papyrus’s shoulder. For a skeleton, he was surprisingly comfy and his easy pace was gradually rocking her to sleep. Said skeleton made a noise best described as a “SNRK!” not long after what she said. Edge had only released a drawn out sigh. At least one of them appreciated her humor. 

“JUST EAT THE DAMN BANANA, YOU BRAT,” he moved it closer insistently, looking and sounding very much like a tired mom trying to get her child to eat the last piece of broccoli on their plate. 

A pause then, “No.” 

“NO?” 

“No.”

“WHY?”

“Where did you even get a banana from?”

“I HAD IT.”

“So, you just carry around a banana all the time?”

“NO, YOU DISCOUNT KAOLA.”

“Awww, and here I thought I was an upgrade.”

“QUIT TRYING TO DIVERT THE CONVERSATION AND EAT IT.”

“Fine… but only if you tell me why I should.”

Edge sucked in an unneeded breath as he nearly vibrated in irritation. He took a moment to calm before gritting out, "FINE." She was just a little impressed he had an answer. “POTASSIUM IS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR EASING AND PREVENTING CRAMPS. BANANAS, I READ, APPARENTLY CONTAIN IT. THUS EATING IT SHOULD HELP YOU BE LESS OF A USELESS LUMP TOMORROW,” he explained, concise and leaving no room for argument, “AND QUIT YOUR LAUGHING, CREAMPUFF. YOU’RE NOT HELPING THE MATTER.” Her sleepy, tired brain processed the information and found no fault. A memory of an old movie where the parents were shrunk and the kids were left on their own came to mind as she remembered it mentioning something about bananas and potassium as well. 

“Okay, you win,” she conceded, chuckling quietly as the scarred skeleton sighed in relief. Edge had far more patience than most give him credit for. At one point in the past, he would have just shoved the fruit in her mouth or just stormed off, but now he was willing to put up with the back and forth. Maybe he actually enjoyed banter? Earlier, he seemed to be proud of Papyrus’s sass. 

Sleepy and not thinking, she leaned forward and took a bite of the banana. It was just at the right ripeness she noted as she chewed contentedly. She didn’t notice how quiet either skeleton was or that they had come to stop before a black classic Ford Mustang.

* * *

Edge’s mind had blanked as he watched the scene play out. This human, rather than simply taking the fruit from his hand and eating it normally, had instead leaned forward slowly and carefully. There was a little sway to her movement, a little shake in her arms as she curled her fingers tighter in to the Creampuff’s shirt to steady herself, and he instinctively brought up his free hand to hover near her just in case. “WATCH WH-what you...” his words faded out as she finally reached the fruit and took a small bite. To top it off, she was doing that absurdly cute little wiggle and hum that human women seemed to commonly do when they ate something they liked. 

“I Can Just Feel The Cavities Forming…” he grumbled under his breath, diverting his eyes from her and her adorable display before a blush could rise. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his doppelganger sending him a sly look and he didn’t bother suppressing a growl. It was cut off as he felt her taking another bite. “WOULD YOU JUST HOLD IT?” he snapped. 

“But I’ve got to hold on,” she had mumbled in reply after swallowing her last bite, “And you told me to eat it. You didn’t tell me how.” He resisted the urge to pinch her nose for that smart remark and just sucked in a deep breath before slowly releasing. 

“She Makes A Good Point,” his softer counterpart imputted.

Edge could only level a deadpan stare on his duplicate, “NOT. HELPING.” Papyrus had the nerve to laugh and the woman resting against his back giggled as she bounced due to it. Shaking his head, he fished his keys from his black joggers’ pockets and unlocked the driver’s side door. Before he got too far, he pushed the banana into the young woman’s hand with a quick order to hold on to it since he needed both his hands. He swiftly put down the seat so the back seat could be accessed. While he was sure Papyrus wouldn’t mind her riding in his lap on the way home, he didn’t think he could take anymore public displays of affection tonight. No matter how platonic they are. 

“Alright, Get In The Backseat,” he ordered as he moved to the side. He pinched at his nose ridge as he watched Papyrus move to get in the back with her, “NOT YOU. HER. JUST HER.” There was no room for argument and no matter how much the Creampuff looked like a puppy that just had its treat stolen, he wasn’t giving in. Thankfully, the woman’s little head pats she placed on his skull seemed to appease him. Wait, how was she- oh. He held in a snicker at the ridiculous image she presented. She had freed up one of her hands by holding the banana in her mouth, while her other still gripped at his shirt. A good sign she had some of her strength back at least.

* * *

Papyrus had at first been annoyed at the thought of Edge butting in on their hang out time, but had warmed up to it rather quickly. Plus, Edge had informed them that he had missed his usual work time session the day before due to an emergency at his restaraunt. It truly was coincidence. It had been fun and having Edge there kept him from going soft on her tonight. It was honestly amusing how she’d gripe and moan and beg, but would push through through the sets and exercises anyway. He’d seen a new side to her as Edge decided to poke at her pride during weight lifting and she had lifted more in that deadlift than he could have ever expected. She’d said it had been fueled by “pure spite” at that moment and not to expect it as the norm. They had new bars set and she’d be less peeved at them when she saw how far she had come along.

Afterwards, it had been decided they would take Edge’s car back to her house, rather than parting ways. While he wasn’t feeling it nearly as intensely as his companion currently resting on his back, he had been pushing himself as well to be fair. Edge, being as observant as ever, had noticed. He couldn’t argue against the logic that it wasn’t a good or safe idea for an exhausted monster and person of color to walk home this late. By now, Sixth Street should be bustling with life and sometimes a few strays wander down teh other streets. They’re not always trouble, but why risk it? 

With her this close, he was surrounded by her scent. Mostly her hair products, but he could smell the musk of her sweat as well and sweet lotion. It wasn’t bad, but he knew not to comment on it either way. He was sure she could smell him and he just hoped she didn’t mind. She hadn’t pulled away at any point or complained so maybe he was safe. He kept one gripe to himself about tonight. At this moment, if she had kept her hair down, those curls would be touching his face and neck. A sorely missed opportunity.

Her and Edge had bickered most the way and he had valiantly tried not laugh, only to fail in the end. It was just such ridiculous little diatribes. It was all so cute, Edge included, but now they had reached his car and he’d have to put her down. 

She was currently petting his skull in an effort to comfort and it was working. Her cheek still rested against his shoulder with her lips wrapped around the banana, just holding it in her mouth. Her free hand that wasn’t gripped his shirt had stopped the gentle petting motion and now just rested her palm against the top of his skull. He could feel one of her fingers just rubbing in a slow circle. Now, that just isn’t fair-

“I WILL HAVE DUSTED BY TIME YOU TWO DECIDE TO FINISH WITH THIS,” his doppelganger snipped with an irritated huff and jerk of his hand to the back seat once again. “EITHER PUT HER DOWN OR I WILL CONFISCATE HER MYSELF,” he threatened, his already sharp sockets narrowing further as his sharp teeth tipped up at the edges. 

Papyrus didn’t know if he should be impressed the other had not threatened to just leave them or flustered at his counterpart's subtext. He would leave those thoughts for later. For now, he crouched down carefully and with Edge’s help, they helped their companion off his back and into the seat. By the time he made it around the vehicle and settled into the passenger’s seat, Edge was already seated in the driver’s side and in the rear view he could his friend eating with ease. He called her name and she looked up curiously, still chewing her last bite, “Do You Need Require Any Water At The Moment?” 

She just shook her head and swallowed her mouthfull, “Not unless that water is part of a shower.” 

“A Shower Does Sound Nice Right Now,” he agreed. He could hear Edge grunting in agreement as he turned the key in the ignition and put the car into gear. The engine roared to life and the dash board lit up, showing off the upgrades Edge had done to the classic model. It wasn’t long before they pulling out the spot and onto the road, heading back to her little abode on Eighth Street. 

“Human,” the sharper of the two skeletons called and glanced into the mirror to check if she was paying attention, “Hopefully, You Do Not Plan To Work Tomorrow After Tonight.” It should have been a question, but it sounded more like a command. 

“I Have To Agree With My Cousin On This,” Papyrus piped in as he saw her looking like she wanted to argue. She pursed her lips as he kept talking, “You’ll Be Dreadfully Sore Tomorrow Most Likely.” 

“And I wonder whose fault that is,” she didn’t hesitate with a little click of her tongue. Papyrus atleast had the shame to wince, but beat down the guilt as their driver sent him a sharp look. A look that said don’t back down. 

“No Matter Who's At Fault Here,” Edge started, coming to a stop at a four way and putting on his blinker. Sharp red eyelights lit in his sockets and locked with the young woman’s gaze in the mirror. “Your Body Still Needs Rest. Doing Anything Other That Tomorrow Would Only Be Punishing Yourself For No Good Reason,” he scolded and gave her a moment to nod and voice her understanding before extinguishing his eyelights. 

The rest of the car ride was void of chatter as Edge put on some soft music and his passengers fought off sleep. One because the trip was too short to provide a decent nap and would just result him being groggy. The other because she was now responsible for an empty banana peel and she’d rather not drop it on any part of this vehicle that felt far too expensive for her to be sitting in. 

* * *

Finally, Edge was pulling the black Mustang over and parking just infront Papyrus’s red Ferrari. She swears these two just visiting the area raised property values. She scooted closer to Edge’s side as he got out and started putting down the seat. Once it was down, she took Edge’s offered hand and let him help her out. She was happy to see she could stand again, but that didn’t say anything about the stairs she needed to climb. Even ground was one thing, but an incline… she may be crawling to bed after all. 

“Do You Think You Can Make It OR-?” her sharp friend started to question, but let the rest hang for her to fill in. Despite how prickly he could be, he was honestly a sweetheart once you earned his trust. 

“Well…” she trailed off as Papyrus cleared his nonexistent throat and made his presence known once again. One glance at him and she felt like smacking herself for almost forgetting. “Oh right, Papi, you left your sweater inside,” she laughed, “You’re lucky, I could use another comfy sweater to add to my collection.” There were a few of the skeletons whose sweaters she’d love to steal; namely, the lazier of the brothers had the prime specimens.

Papyrus just shook his head, “Maybe Asking Nicely Would Get You Better Results,” he adminished. 

Is that so? “Pretty please, can I keep your sweater?” she went for it with a hopeful smile, which was quickly dashed as he cackled softly with a dry “NO.” She could even hear Edge snorting as he stifled a laugh behind his fist. If she had the energy, she’d whine a bit, but her bed was calling her. Turning her attention back to Edge, she nodded, “Thanks for joining us tonight. It was fun.” After a moment, she added one last thought, “You should join us more often.” She meant it. Even if the workout had been harder than she was used to, it was nice to have someone who knew how to push her buttons and get her to push herself. 

Edge’s sharp visage softened just slightly and he sent her an appreciative smile, nodding. “Maybe I Will.”

* * *

It had been a blessing that Papyrus needed to get his sweater from the apartment as she had nearly crumpled going up the stairs. The poor skeleton had been fretting about her something fierce and ended up just carrying her up the stairs as watching her struggle had apparently been too stressful. It had taken plenty coaxing and reassuring that she would be fine and wouldn’t be completely helpless on her own. He’d made her pinky promise to not shower or bathe tonight as he didn’t trust her to not slip and fall or fall asleep and drown. He’d ordered her to bed immediately and she wasn’t arguing. That had been an order from the heavens. 

She’d wasted no time after sharing a hug goodbye and he was on his way down the stairs to lock up and draw her curtains. She’d shed her clothes like a snake once she had stepped foot in her room. A trail of clothes, starting with her bra and ending with her socks and shoes now stretched across her floor. She didn’t bother finding a night shirt and simply face planted on her bed with relieved sigh as the cool sheets and comforter kissed her bare skin. 

She wasn’t too worried about going to bed sweaty. She’d decided on the way home to have a wash day tomorrow. It’s been due, but now with this workout, it was definitely needed. She could just enjoy pampering her body, hair, and scalp. A nice little spa day. She could change and wash her sheets then as well, so no harm done. 

Her phone buzzing from somewhere in her room barely registered with her. It wasn’t until it buzzed a few more times that she forced herself to sit up and look around her dark room for the infernal device. It needed to be plugged up anyway now that she remembers. Spotting the phone on the floor near her abandoned clothes, she slid off her bed and scooped it up. Tapping the screen, she winced as it lit up and quickly lowered the brightness. 

No longer in danger of being blinded, she saw the notifications from earlier that she had forgotten to check and a few new ones. Some were junk, but most were messages from friends, family, and one for work. She would reply to the work one tomorrow when she has a fresh mind and it was a decent hour. She rolled her eyes good naturedly as she opened a message from Papyrus. 

_**Papaya** : REMEMBER TO REST TOMORROW. GOOD NIGHT! _

_**Papaya** : WHY ARE YOU NOT SLEEPING?!  _

_**Papaya** : PUT DOWN THE PHONE AND GO TO BED! _

_**Papaya** : I KNOW IT’S A DIFFICULT THING TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A TXTING BUDDY AS GREAT AS ME!! _

_**Papaya** : BUT YOU MUST.  _

A little snort burst past her lips as the messages kept coming in, all along the same note. She tapped the little text box and sent him a quick little message:

_**Flooffie** : Pot calling the kettle black _

_**Flooffie** : XP _

Closing the convo as she saw him typing, she breezed through the rest of her texts. She sent quick little replies where needed, but most turned out to be bad puns and one liners from the jokesters of the family. Coffee had sent her a cute little doodle he had made her with a note saying he’d like to see that hairstyle on her. It was cute. She sent him a couple heart emojis and a thumbs up. She could type a thought out reply tomorrow. Switching her phone to silent, she plugged it up and crawled back into bed. It seemed her head had barely hit her pillows before sleep swept her under. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was vague with reader's scent on purpose. Some of use love coconut milk or oil or Shea butter, but it's not universal. I like Manuka honey blends~
> 
> And it's always the bra that get ditched first!

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a wholesome, fun little one shot, but as I typing it, I realized it had reached 4k words and I hadn't even reached the meat of it. So, multi-chapter short fic it is!


End file.
